There is a saying in some Spanish-speaking cultures that suggests that if you know how someone died, then you can infer a lot about how he or she lived. Did the person go young in a storm of bullets or old in a peaceful bedroom? Alone on a street or surrounded by love? A fast car into a tree or time enough to say goodbye? The idea is that somehow one of life’s most defining moments –its end- can poignantly reflect what has happened before. Walter Benjamin wrote of “monads” in such a way that they became points where time and experience seemed to concentrate and charge with meaning. If philosophy traditionally points to a monad as the beginning, can it also take place at the end? Or, perhaps, some point in the middle?
How often do we want just one more hour? It would be time enough to finish that book, that project, that conversation. We might not arrive late for that appointment. Just a few more thoughts exchanged with that loved one that you’ll never speak with again. A 365-day year is calculated as 8,760 hours. While this number is indeed correct, tomorrow it will seem slightly inaccurate. This is thanks to the fact that, at least here in the United States, we’ll change our clocks. Most of us will spend the hour sleeping. Considering the ever-increasing effort made by life to draw our eyes in one direction or another, this small gift is justifiably enjoyed by keeping them closed. Does this say something about us? Are we overworked? Is this the best way to spend the extra part of our once-a-year 25-hour day?
Those of us with young children know that routine is helpful. This also means that we likely won’t get to keep our eyes closed during those sixty minutes. Some early-morning playtime? It’s difficult to think of a better way to use to an hour. I can only aspire to make this imply something bigger about how I have lived my life.
How often do we want just one more hour? It would be time enough to finish that book, that project, that conversation. We might not arrive late for that appointment. Just a few more thoughts exchanged with that loved one that you’ll never speak with again. A 365-day year is calculated as 8,760 hours. While this number is indeed correct, tomorrow it will seem slightly inaccurate. This is thanks to the fact that, at least here in the United States, we’ll change our clocks. Most of us will spend the hour sleeping. Considering the ever-increasing effort made by life to draw our eyes in one direction or another, this small gift is justifiably enjoyed by keeping them closed. Does this say something about us? Are we overworked? Is this the best way to spend the extra part of our once-a-year 25-hour day?
Those of us with young children know that routine is helpful. This also means that we likely won’t get to keep our eyes closed during those sixty minutes. Some early-morning playtime? It’s difficult to think of a better way to use to an hour. I can only aspire to make this imply something bigger about how I have lived my life.
